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Crime in newsagencies

At the most recent Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) National Armed Robbery Forum, stakeholders spoke about the need to understand why their particular store was targeted and how to protect staff and businesses.

The ANF is working with the AIC on issues affecting the newsagency channel and aims to identify the characteristics of a business that make it vulnerable to armed robbery. A full report is featured on p.30 of the April edition of National Newsagent, out 16 April. This is definitely worth reading, as many newsagents have been affected by armed robbery.

Over the weekend, East Hills Newsagency was terrorised by armed robbers. CLICK HERE to watch a short news report regarding this.

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2 thoughts on “Crime in newsagencies”

Having been a newsagent in a previous life I can relate well to the threat of armed hold ups and the consequences it can have on staff and owners, not specifically just from the loss of cash and assets but from the direct impact it has on the mental health and well being of the staff involved. Many years ago we were a target of an armed hold up with the counter staff held at knife point. While we did everything we could to provide support and counseling, the staff member involved eventually left the industry and to this day has never returned to retail counter work..
Ironically I now work in the security industry and proactively discuss with commercial and residential clients ways to improve their security and protect their staff, family and assets. It’s disappointing to see that many people only consider the need for security after an event.
While you can never completely eliminate the possibility of being held up, there are certainly many ways a business or home owner can prepare themselves to become a less attractive target to criminal activity.
The one thing I would certainly recommend to all business owners is to talk to their staff, regularly, about the possibility of these events and to give them clear instruction and strategies to follow.

Thanks for the comment Paul
It appears to be human nature to think “It cant happen to me”.
Perhaps you would like to write an article for this blog and for our magazine, National Newsagent to give advice to newsagents from your perspective of having been there?